Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in the first practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday, narrowly beating his Mercedes teammate George Russell by 0.04 seconds to deliver a one-two finish for the team [1, 2, 3]. Oscar Piastri in the McLaren was third quickest, 0.117 seconds behind Antonelli [1, 2, 3].
Max Verstappen, running a major aerodynamic upgrade on the Red Bull, came in fourth, 0.281 seconds off the leading pace [1, 2, 3]. Verstappen reported issues with the car, saying "the whole car is shaking under braking," after experiencing software delays that kept him stuck in the garage at the session start [2]. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was fifth fastest, 0.665 seconds behind Antonelli despite an engine upgrade, continuing his chase in the championship [1, 2, 3]. Hamilton won the previous race in Spain but trails Antonelli by 41 points, as Antonelli has claimed five wins in seven races this season [2, 3].
Rookie Arvid Lindblad took sixth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Lando Norris, who was seventh fastest despite missing much of the session due to a hydraulics problem [1, 2, 3]. Ferrari’s F2 reserve Dino Beganovic drove Charles Leclerc's car in the session's early running, setting the ninth-best time before Leclerc took over later [1, 2, 3].
Technical problems interrupted the session. Isack Hadjar missed the first 35 minutes after a last-minute engine change. Sergio Perez stopped on an uphill climb with just over a minute remaining, triggering red flags that ended the session early without further runs [2, 3]. Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa replaced Esteban Ocon at Haas and accidentally knocked over a team mechanic, who was unharmed [2, 3].
Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies detailed the difficult start for his team, noting a late engine change for Hadjar and software issues with Verstappen's car that caused delays before the session began [3].
Practice sets the stage for qualifying and sprint races later this weekend at the Red Bull Ring as drivers finalize their setups ahead of Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
